Thursday, May 31, 2012

Judge blocks enforcement of Florida Republican voter suppression law

The Brennan Center for Justice has reported that a federal
judge has issued an order today BLOCKING the enforcement of key provisions of a
law Republicans passed to make it difficult for groups like the League of Women
Voters to conduct voter registration drives in Florida. This from the Brennan Center:

A federal judge
blocked enforcement of key provisions of a restrictive voting law in Florida
today, a breakthrough victory for Florida voters and voting rights advocates
nationwide.

The law, H.B. 1355,
included onerous restrictions on community-based voter registration drives,
forcing the League of Women Voters of Florida and other groups to shut down
their drives. In his decision, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle found that the
Constitution and federal law prohibit most of Florida’s recently-passed
restrictions, and highlighted the law’s impact on the Plaintiffs’
constitutional rights.

“Together speech and
voting are constitutional rights of special significance; they are the rights
most protective of all others, joined in this respect by the ability to
vindicate one’s rights in a federal court. … [W]hen a plaintiff loses an
opportunity to register a voter, the opportunity is gone forever,” U.S.
Judge Robert L. Hinkle wrote
in his opinion blocking most of the Florida law. “And allowing
responsible organizations to conduct voter-registration drives—thus making it
easier for citizens to register and vote—promotes democracy.”